Stereotype-plate finishing and cooling machine.



R. T. JOHNSTON.

STEBEOTYPE PLATE FINISHING AND COOLING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED JULY 31. 1914.

I 1,126,773. Patented Feb. 2, 1915.

WI THE/$62 555! flaw 414 THE NORRIS PETERS (30., PHOTO-LITHCL, WASHINGTON. D. C.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFTCE.

ROBERT T. JOHNSTON, 0F MUSKEGON, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR TO THE GOSS PRINTING PRESS COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

STEREOTYPE-PLATE FINISHING AND COOLING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Iatent,

Patented Feb. 2, 1915.

Original application filed May 23, 1913, Serial No. 769,392. Divided and this application filed July 31,

1914. Serial No. 854,424.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT T. J OHNSTON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Muskegon, in the county of Muskegon, State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Stereotype-Plate Finishing and Cooling Machines, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings. 7

My invention relates to stereotype plate finishing and cooling machines of the type shown in my application Serial No. 7 69.392, filed May 23, 1913, of which this application is a division, and particularly to the means for cooling the plate.

For cooling plates after finishing, it has heretofore been customary to spray or sprinkle the plates with water, which necessitated drying them to get rid of the water accumulating thereon before they could be attached to the press.

It is one of the objects of my invention to provide cooling means by the use of which I am enabled to avoid the necessity for drying the plates. I have accomplished this object by cooling the plates in such a manner as to prevent the accumulation of water thereon, this being done by the use of a rotary brush or wiper which rotates through a water bath, the heat being taken up by the dampened brushes which are in turn cooled for the next contact with the plate by their passage through the water of the bath. The plates after being cooled in this manner are delivered ready for immediate use'upon a press.

It is another object of my invention to improve devices of this type in sundry details hereinafter pointed out.

The means by which I have accomplished these objects are illustrated in the drawings and are hereinafter specifically described.

That which I believe to be new is set forth in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is substantially a central vertical section, partly broken away, through a plate finishing and cooling machine embodying my improvements; and Fig. 2 is substantially a section taken on line 22 of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings,10 indicates a frame upon which a drum 11 is revolubly mounted in any suitable manner, being adapted to be driven by a gear 12 adapted to be secured when desired to the drum 11. Extending into the drum 11 is a bracket 13 mounted upon the frame 10 along suitable slide ways upon which a curved printing plate 14 is adapted to be moved, the plate 14: being adapted to be locked in the drum 11 in any suitable manner and finished as described in my said application. After the plate is finished it is adapted to be moved out of the drum 11 by means of transferring mechanism 15 into position upon rails 16 suitably mounted in spaced relation for supporting the edges of the plate in the cooling device forming the subject matter of this application.

17 indicates a shaft journaled in any suitable manner in the frame 10, having mounted upon its rear end a gear 18 adapted to be driven continuously from any suitable source of power. The shaft 17 has mounted upon it a hub 19 provided with a plurality of sockets 20 spaced thereabout. The sockets 20 are arranged in pairs in alinement with each other, and between each two adjacent pairs of sockets 20 is mounted a socket 21, the socket 21. being arranged opposite a space between the sockets 20. In each of the sockets 2021 is mounted a brush or wiper 22 formed of felt or other absorbent material, the ends of said brushes or wipers being adapted to engage the inner face of a plate 23 in position upon the rails 16, as best shown in Fig. 2. The brushes or wipers 22 are adapted to be kept moistened during the rotation of the shaft 17 by means of cold water fed from a perforated pipe 24 to an inclined table 25 into contact with which the ends of the wipers are brought in the rotation of the device.

By the use of the devices just described, whenever a plate is placed in cooling posi tion upon the rails 16, in the position occupied by the plate 23, the plate is adapted to have its inner surface brushed or wiped by the dampened brushes 22 whereby the plate is cooled without accumulating any free water. Inasmuch as the brushes. which in their contact with the plate readily absorb the heat of the plate. are in turn cooled by their engagement with the moistened table 25, it will be seen that by rotating the shaft 17 at a rapid rate the device may be made very effective for cooling a plate without permitting the accumulation of any free water upon the plate. By reason of this method of cooling the plate, when the plate has been pushed out of the cooling device along the rails 16 after being acted upon for a short time in the cooling device, the plate is ready for immediate use upon the press without drying, inasmuch as the plate does not retain any appreciable amount of the water applied to it in the cooling operation. I What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is-,-

1. A'printing plate cooling device, comprising means for supporting a plate, means for Wiping the surface of the plate, and means for moistening the Wiping means independently of the printing plate.

2. A printing plate cooling device, comprising means for supporting a plate, a wiping device comprising wipers formed of absorbent material, means for moving said wipers in contact with the surface of the plate, and means for supplying water to said wipers for cooling said plate.

3. A printing plate cooling device, comprising means for supporting a plate, rotating means adapted to brush the surface of said plate, andmeans for moistening said brushing means for moistening and cooling said plate.

4. A printing plate cooling device, comprising means for supporting a plate, a rotary support, brushes carried by said rotary support adapted to engage the surface of said plate, and means for moistening the brushes independently of the printing plate.

5. A printing plate cooling device, comprising means for supporting a plate, a rotary support, Wipers comprising absorbent material carried by said rotary support adapted to engage the surface of said plate, and means for moistening the wipers as they rotate independently of the printing plate.

6. A printing plate cooling device, com- .prising means for supporting a printing plate, movable wipers adapted to be brought into contact with the surface of the printing plate in position on said support, a moistening device with Which said wipers are brought into contact in their movement after their contact with the printing plate, and means for feeding Water to said moistening device.

7. A printing plate cooling device, comprising means for supporting the printing plate, rotary means adapted to brush the surface of said printing plate in position upon said support, an inclined table with which said rotary means isbrought into contact after its contact with said printing plate, and means for feeding a film of water to said table.

8. A printing plate cooling device, comprising means for supporting a curved plate, rotary means adapted to brush the inner surface of said plate in position upon said support, and means independent of said printing plate for moistening said brushing means as it rotates.

9. A printing plate cooling device, comprising means for supporting a curved plate, rotary means adapted to brush the inner surface of said plate in position upon said support, said rotary brushing means being provided with a plurality of brushes spaced about its periphery, and means for moistening said brushing means.

10. A printing plate cooling device, comprising means for supporting a curved plate, rotary means adapted to brush the inner surface of said plate in position upon said support, said rotary'brushing means 7 being provided with a plurality of brushes spaced about its periphery, and means for moistening said brushing means, the periphery of said brushing device being substantially circularconforming to' the curvature of the printingplate whereby a plurality of said brushes are adapted to engage the inner surface of the printing'plate at the same time.

11. A printing plate cooling device, comprising means for supporting the edges of a curved printingplate, a shaft extending longitudinally between the edge supports, a plurality of socketsspaced about said shaft and mounted thereon, a Wiper of absorbent material positioned in each of said sockets adapted to wipethe inner surface of a printing plate inposition upon said supporting means, and means for moistening said Wipers as said shaft rotates.

ALBERT H. .ADAMs, W. H. DE BUSK.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G. 

